Hide and Seek
by Wicked-Witch-of-the-Midwest-18
Summary: a little bit of Josh, a little bit of the boys, and a little bit of drama. I OWN NOTHING BUT MYSELF.
1. Chapter 1

"I love you Bre," Josh stated, looking over at me with a smile.

I rolled my eyes at him, not saying anything. The statement had come many times, especially over the last few months, and I had learned to just shrug it off as nothing.

He watched me for a minute to see if I would respond and when I didn't, he sighed quietly. I thought we'd be used to this by now, but it still hurt him which hurt me. And yet, I couldn't bring myself to give him the response he wanted.

I shook my head slightly, trying to clear my head and focus on the movie that we were watching. A feat easier said than done, since I spent the rest of the movie sneaking glances at my best friend.

The two of us together was not a new concept, and I had to admit that I had entertained the idea more than once. But for some reason, every time the thought came to me, it just didn't feel right.

Leaning back against the couch cushions, I closed my eyes for a minute. When I opened them, I could feel Josh's eyes resting on me. I looked over at him. "Yes?"

"You alright?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

I bit my lip, hard, mostly out of guilt. There was no way I could tell him what I was really thinking, but he was my best friend and we had always told each other everything. "Just tired I guess," I replied, telling him a half truth.

He smiled softly, getting up. "Movie's over anyway, go to bed babe," he said, walking over and kissing the top of my head.

I nodded, blowing him a kiss good bye as he slipped his shoes on and walked out the door. Once he was gone, I sighed heavily, closing my eyes again. Now that the distractions were gone, my brain was free to wander where it liked, which was never a good thing.

It wasn't that I didn't love Josh. Because I did. But I loved him as a friend, or as a brother, not as whatever he wanted us to be. We had been best friends since third grade, and while we had gone through everything together, I couldn't bring myself to think about him in that way.

Groaning, I opened my eyes again, sitting up. I knew that all of that was just part of the reason I didn't love Josh. I also knew exactly what the other part, the main reason, was, but couldn't bring myself to admit it.

Couldn't bring myself to admit that I was in love with one of Josh's best friends. That was the real reason I could never return his affection, the real reason I rolled my eyes every time he told me he loved me. Because I was in love with a boy who I had seen only once.

I really was pathetic. Here was this funny, smart, and yes, cute, boy who actually liked me and who do I fall for? One of said boy's friends; a person I had never even spoken to. A person that probably didn't even know my name. A person by the name of Zayn Malik.

Looking at the clock, I noticed just how late it really was and slowly got off the couch, shuffling into my bedroom. I changed and got ready quickly, collapsing into bed. Checking my phone, I noticed I had one new text message.

_Hey Banana, doing anything tomorrow night?_

I had to grin at Josh's use of the nickname that I had been given as a child. My whole family had called me either Breanna Banana or just Banana since I was little, and when Josh had heard about it, it had become his permanent nickname for me.

_Not that I know of. Why, got something planned?_

I sent back, rolling onto my side. Even after all these years, I still half depended on Josh to make plans for us, no matter how sad that was. He was just better at coming up with fun things to do than I was.

_Yeah, we've got a concert. Want to come?_

Was the reply a moment later. I couldn't stop my breath from hitching slightly as I read the text. A concert would mean seeing Zayn again. Because, oh yeah, my best friend just happened to be the drummer for the world famous band, One Direction, of which Zayn was a member.

_If you're offering free tickets, then I am in!_

I replied, grinning as I pictured Josh rolling his eyes at my response. But hey, I was never one to give up free stuff. A few texts later, our plan was set, we had said our good nights, and I was curled up in my blanket thinking about tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Fast forward to the next day and I was standing in front of my closet, staring at my clothes. "I have nothing to wear!" I moaned to what I thought was an empty room. Which is why, when I heard a chuckle from behind me, I shrieked and whirled around. "Joshua John Devine!" I yelled, throwing a pair of pants at him.

He dodged the flying clothes, laughing hard. "Sorry, but I had to. And seriously, nothing to wear? Did you not just drag me on a three hour long shopping trip like last week?" he asked, his eyes sparkling dangerously.

I rolled my own eyes, flopping onto the bed only to be joined by Josh a second later. "Yeah, but I didn't buy anything I can wear to a concert!" I said, exasperated.

Josh looked at me, one eyebrow raised, a slightly sad look in his eyes. "You mean, nothing you can wear to the concert to impress a certain someone."

Sitting up quickly, I stared at him with wide eyes. "What are you talking about?" I asked in what I hoped was an innocent voice.

"Oh please," he said, sitting up as well, "you don't think I noticed your little crush on Zayn? I'm not blind Breanna."

I bit my lip, instantly feeling bad. "I'm…I'm sorry. I know that you-"

Josh immediately began shaking his head, interrupting me. "No. Don't say you're sorry. You can't help who you like, trust me I know. If you like Zayn, that's fine, I'm your best friend and will continue to be your best friend no matter what," he paused for a second, then grinned. "Besides; it could be worse."

"How?" I asked, curiously.

"You could have a crush on Ben," he replied, still grinning. I laughed at the thought of his little brother who, while he was actually my age, I had never clicked with him like I had with Josh.

On an impulse, I leaned over and wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder. "Thank you Joshy," I whispered.

"For what?" he asked, confusion clear in his voice even as he returned the hug.

I pulled back slightly, but kept my arms around him. "For being so understanding. Most guys wouldn't want to be in this situation, so thank you for sticking around."

He pulled me close again, smiling now. "Anything for you Banana."


	3. Chapter 3

A couple hours later, I was front row at the concert, surrounded by psychotic fans. It wasn't so much that I wasn't a fan of One Direction, because I was, it was just that I wasn't a super fan. Mostly because of the fact that I had been best friends with the drummer since forever.

I stood, getting jostled by the girls around me, sneaking glances at Zayn as they warmed up. Once or twice, I caught Josh's eye and he winked, waving at me. I giggled and waved back, waiting for the concert to start.

The whole concert was amazing and pretty soon I was backstage, waiting for the boys to come off so I could say hi.

Josh was the first one to walk back, grinning when he saw me. He tried to sweep me up into a big hug, even as I tried to push him away. "Stop, you're all stinky!" I protested, laughing.

Of course, this only made him try harder and, since he was stronger than me, he succeeded in wrapping his arms around me. "Did you have fun?" he asked as the other boys started to join us.

I nodded, slightly more than distracted by what was going on behind Josh. Apparently not realizing that I was in the room, a couple of the boys had started to change out of their concert clothes. Before things could get any more awkward, I stepped away from Josh, clearing my throat.

Five heads snapped up, eyes wide as they saw me. I could hear Josh chuckling behind me, and I couldn't help but grin as they all hurried to try and cover up, as if I had never seen a shirtless guy before.

"You didn't tell us you had a friend back here Josh," Liam said, being the first person to recover from the shock.

Josh looked back at me and rolled his eyes, causing me to giggle. "That would be what a dressing room is for Li."

Liam scowled as the rest of us laughed. "Are you going to introduce us then?"

Although I had seen the boys in person before, this would be the first time actually meeting them so I stepped forward, smiling. "Hi, I'm Breanna. Josh's best friend."

"How unfortunate for you," Louis teased, reaching out and shaking my hand. "Louis Tomlinson, at your service."

I rolled my eyes again, grinning as Niall came forward. "Hey there, I'm Niall, the Irish one. What's the craic?"

"Hey gorgeous, I'm Harry," the boy speaking nodded in my direction, sending me a cheeky smile. Josh had told me about Harry's flirtatious nature and I couldn't help but laugh as I saw it in action.

"Liam here, very nice to meet you Breanna," he said smiling, shaking my hand as well.

Finally, the boy that I had had my eyes on all night straightened, an easy smile on his face. "Zayn Malik," he said simply before relaxing back in the couch.

I smiled at all five of them. "Nice to finally meet all of you," I told them, putting them emphasis on finally as I raised an eyebrow at Josh. There had never been an explanation from him as to why he hadn't introduced me to his friends and he looked down sheepishly at my stare.

This time it was Josh's turn to scowl slightly as all the boys laughed. "I like her. We might just have to keep her around," was Louis' playful response.

"Thank you, I'm sure you'll be seeing more of me, right Josh?" I grinned, teasing my friend as he rolled his eyes.

"I don't know sweetheart, we wouldn't want you to get corrupted by these wackos," Josh said, teasing me back. There were words of protest from the wackos in question and I laughed, genuinely enjoying myself.

We spent most of the rest of the night in the backstage area, talking and laughing and teasing each other. Even though I had just met them, I felt like we had known each other for years with how easy we were able to interact.

I had to admit, I did spent a good chunk of the night stealing glances at Zayn, something I thought I had been doing subtly until Josh delivered an elbow jab into my ribs. "What the hell?" I hissed.

"You're staring…again," he whispered back, his eyes sparkling mischievously. I glared at him and he grinned, going back to the conversation.

Several hours later, the boy's security guard, Paul, poked his head around the door and told us that we were going to have to wrap it up since the boys had to leave soon. We all moaned and complained loudly as the door closed again, none of us wanting to leave.

Unfortunately, we didn't really have a choice in the matter so we started saying our goodbyes; all the boys making me promise that I would come out to another show soon. Laughing, I promised, giving them all quick hugs before leaving with Josh.

"You know, for all the grief I gave you about staring…he did seem to be staring just as much," Josh said quietly, keeping his eyes on the road.

I didn't need to Josh to clarify the him he was talking about and I bit my lip to keep from smiling. "You think so?"

At my question, Josh's eyes flicked towards me for a split second and I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing he didn't want to talk about this. "Yeah, I do. Congrats Bre, you've got his attention."

"Sorry Josh," I whispered, wincing slightly.

"It's fine Banana, it's what you wanted. And if you're happy, I'm happy," he smiled, reaching out and rubbing my arm.

I sighed, a small smile on my face. "You're too sweet for me Joshy," I told him, feeling terrible about the whole situation. In a perfect world, Josh and I would be together and Zayn would be nothing more than a friend. But the world wasn't perfect and instead Josh had to watch me fall for one of his best friends.

"Impossible," he replied simply, pulling up in front of the apartment building. He leaned over and pushed my door open, kissing my cheek quickly. "Bye, I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow!"


	4. Chapter 4

Over the next couple weeks, I got to attend plenty more concerts. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I was forced to attend concerts by the rest of the boys. They had gotten a hold of my phone number somehow and they, especially Louis and Niall, wouldn't leave me alone.

I couldn't say that I minded too much, since it was mostly harmless and always funny. After every concert, we spent our time the same way we had after the first one; talking and laughing backstage. Occasionally, we would run around the arena, making trouble and having fun, but usually we just hung out.

When they were able to, we'd sneak out of the arena and see how far into town we could make it before the boys got caught which was always a fun time. We'd typically get caught within the first few blocks, but once or twice we actually got into town before someone found us.

Other than being best friends with Josh, I also got quite close to Louis and Niall as we began to be more and more daring with our mischief. I really wanted to get closer to Zayn, but I was still having a lot of fun.

One night, we were playing hide and seek after the concert around the arena. I was currently crouching in between rows of chairs, keeping a look out for Liam who was the seeker. Poking my head over the top of the seats, I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone whispered in my ear. "Hey."

I twisted around the best I could and glared at the boy in front of me. "Are you trying to scare me to death?"

Zayn chuckled quietly, settling into a comfortable position. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"Whatever," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "What are you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to find your own hiding spot?"

"Typically, yes. But I saw you sitting here and couldn't resist," he replied, still grinning.

I was so glad it was mostly dark in the arena as I blushed at his comment. "Fine, but you better be quiet." I hissed, avoiding his eyes.

"Ma'am yes ma'am," he said playfully, saluting me. I couldn't help but giggled, covering my mouth with my hands. He grinned at me and raised one finger to his lips, shushing me.

We sat together until my butt started going numb (apparently Liam was not very good at this game) whispering and laughing. It was the first time I had been alone with Zayn and I was proud of how calm I was being.

"I like you," Zayn said casually, grinning at me slightly. It was pretty much the same thing that Josh had told me multiple times, and I couldn't help but compare my reactions between the two.

I swear my heart literally skipped a beat and my face flushed deep red as I did my best not to break out into a happy dance. "Well…the feeling's mutual," I whispered, afraid to look at his face.

"Good to know," he replied and something in his voice caused me to glance up. He was smiling at me, his eyes sparkling even in the dim light. "Do you think Josh will mind?"

I almost burst out laughing at that, the answer to that question being more complicated than Zayn could even begin to understand. Of course Josh would mind, if only because he felt the same way, but I knew that he would still put on a happy face about it. "He'll understand," I said, giving Zayn the only answer that would be truthful.

A slow smile came over his face. "Good. That makes this a lot easier," he whispered. I knew how far that was from the truth, but I stayed quiet as he leaned closer and kiss my lips for a quick second.

I stayed frozen where I was, even as Zayn pulled away slowly. He blinked a couple times and I bit my lip as our eyes met. Another second later, his lips were on mine again as we kissed softly.

"Umm, guys?" a hesitant voice called from behind me. We sprung apart like we had been electrocuted, both of us looking at the intruder with wide eyes. "Sorry for, uhh, interrupting, but Zayn, we have to go soon," Liam muttered awkwardly.

Zayn nodded and Liam quickly walked away. I turned towards him and we both started laughing, the whole situation suddenly very funny. "I guess I should go then," he said once we calmed down.

"Yeah, I guess you should," I agreed, glancing up at him. He smiled at me, leaning in and kissing me again quickly before standing up and leaving with the promise to text me later that night.

I stayed where I was on the floor, my mind and heart racing as I replayed the night's events. I was still sitting on the floor when Josh walked past, stopped, and came to sit next to me.

"There you are. We've got to get going," he said, nudging me.

Nodding, I started to get up silently, but Josh grabbed my arm, stopping me. I turned towards him to see that his brows were furrowed, a frown on his face. "What?"

"What happened?" he asked simply, not needing to elaborate any further.

Sighing, I sat back down. "Zayn and I kissed," I muttered quietly.

There was a minute of silence where I was too scared to look anywhere but the ground. "That's…that's great Bre, really. I'm happy for you," Josh finally said in a strained voice.

I looked up at him and immediately wished I hadn't. The heartbreak was clear on his face and I couldn't handle knowing that I had caused it. "I'm so sorry Josh."

"No, no, you don't have to be sorry. I knew this was bound to happen and like I said before, I'm still your best friend," he answered.

"Thank you," I said quietly, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"You're welcome Bre. Now come on, let's get you home," he said, standing up and offering me his hand. "Oh, and I don't want to hear about your kiss. Or any of your relationship. Ever."

He said all this with a grin on his face as we walked to his car and I giggled, taking his hand. "I love you Joshy."

"I love you too Banana," he replied, squeezing my hand.


End file.
